We sat down with French DJ/Producer Surkin (pictured above), given that he's here on Friday and all, and found out a bit more about him.

What was it that made you drop out of art school four years ago to start your music career?

- Time. I had more and more gigs, some during the week, and remixes offers. I was going less and less to school, and doing more and more music. So I just stopped to focus on music.

Have you always had an interest in the music industry?

- Yes, I've always been listening to music, even if I wasn't as crazy about it before my late teens.

Is there someone in your family with a musical background that influenced you to enter this industry?

- Not really, in fact my parents don't even like music.

Who is an artist that you look up to in the music industry?

- Crystal, an amazing band from Japan. You can check their release on institubes.

How do you keep yourself grounded while working in this high profile industry?

- Ahah, I'm not Prince, I still have the same friends, same hobbies, it hasn't been changing my life so much in Paris.

Starting out playing Detroit ghettotech, what was it that shaped your music to be what it is today?

- A lot of things, every track I liked those last 10 years shaped my sound in a way.

How do you differentiate yourself from other DJ’s?

- I love to play old school tracks and recent stuff in the same set, but a lot of Djs do that too. I'm playing fast, with a computer, like a track every 2 minutes.

Your tune “White Knight II” has been on high rotation in all our local DJ sets, how does that make you feel?

- I've been really surprised, in a good way. I didn't make it with clubs in mind because at that time most of the DJs where only playing overcompressed/distorted tracks.

Being a world renowned DJ, what is your ultimate goal? Where is the ultimate place you would want to play?

- New Zealand of course.

You are coming to New Zealand for the OUR: HOUSE presents SUPERNOVA dance music festival in November, in which you are one of the main acts. What kind of atmosphere are you expecting to receive at this gig?

- I don't really know what to expect, but DJ friends always told me the crowd in NZ is one of the best in the world.

After playing in New Zealand, where is next on your agenda? What’s in store for the future?

- I'm touring Australia and then going back to Paris to finish my album which will be in stores in the first half of 2010. You can expect a first single really soon. And Bobmo and I just finished a new 12" with our High Powered Boys side project, coming soon on Institubes.

Take a listen to his tunes at his Myspace here or watch the video below to see how experienced he is playing to a big, up-for-it crowd - not unlike what he'll be dealing with this Friday at Ellerslie I'd imagine!

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